SJC judge rules on employment discrimination case

A Supreme Judicial Court judge has ruled in a Boston case that an employee who works for a small business with fewer than six workers can file an employment discrimination complaint in the Superior Court under the Massachusetts Equal Rights Act.

This decision will allow the Tracy Thurdin vs. SEI Boston LLC sex discrimination case to proceed since the more commonly used statute of the Massachusetts general law doesn't give workers at such small firms the right to file this kind of complaint against employers.

The ruling overturns a lower-court decision to dismiss the case. Attorney Joseph S. Berman, who is defending the IT consulting firm against allegations that the company discriminated against Thurdin after learning she was pregnant by putting her on unpaid administrative leave, declined to comment.

Plaintiff attorney Daniel W. Rice said, "The SJC's ruling is a significant victory for the thousands of employees of small employers in Massachusetts, as it has clarified that they can seek redress for unlawful job discrimination through the courts."
(By Nicole C. Wong, Globe staff)